Makah chairman confident of tribe's return to whaling

Monday, January 14, 2008  

Micah McCarty, the new chairman of the Makah Nation of Washington, is hopeful the tribe will resume its whale hunt by 2009 or 2010.

McCarty said the tribe continues to seek a federal permit to hunt whales. The process has taken several years.

"The system has been abused to deprive us of our treaty rights," McCarty told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The tribe's 1855 treaty guarantees the right to whales. But the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 abrogated the treaty and requires the tribe to seek a permit.

Tired of waiting for action, five tribal members took to the water last fall and tried to hunt a whale. The five have been charged in tribal and federal court for an unauthorized hunt.

Get the Story:
Makah hopeful about whaling again by 2010 (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 1/14)

Relevant Documents:
Tribal Council Statement | Makah Tribal Whale Hunt | Marine Mammal Protection Act

Court Decisions:
Anderson v. Evans (June 7, 2004) | Anderson v. Evans (December 20, 2002)

Relevant Links:
Makah Nation - http://www.makah.com

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